Academic Support, Counseling and Career Services

Ambiciones

Ambiciones provides a supportive community designed to meet the unique needs of Hispanic/Latino students. 
The program provides networking opportunities, educational and recreational activities, and workshops with other Hispanic/Latino students and campus organizations.  Students can also receive specialized guidance and assistance with academic and career advising, tutoring, mentoring, coaching, financial aid and scholarship opportunities.  For further information, call 443-518-1300 or visit RCF-302.

Career and Life Planning Services

Whether deciding on a major, preparing to enter the job market, or considering a career change, career  services are available to students, prospective students, alumni, and community members. The college offers a wide range of career services which help students focus on their values, interests, skills, and personality traits. These services include individualized career counseling, career assessments, and job assistance services. The Resource Library is open to the public and provides a variety of job and career materials, including printed resources and computerized self-assessment and career exploration programs. For further information, contact the counseling and career services office, room RCF-302 or call 443-518-1340. For additional resources, please visit our website at howardcc.edu/career.

Career Links

The Career Links program assists low-income single parents, displaced homemakers, and single pregnant women to become economically self-sufficient. The goals of the program are to achieve education and career goals toward long-term economic self-sufficiency.

Career Links staff will help participants determine their goals and decide on the type of work they would like to do based on their interests and past experiences. If appropriate, the staff will help participants plan a program of study, assist with the application for college admission and financial aid, as well as facilitate the registration process. Information on resume writing, interviewing skills, the job search process, and job retention is provided. The staff will also assist program participants with concerns that interfere with job or school activities. Staff members can make referrals to a wide variety of community services. The Career Links program assists with any difficulty participants may encounter on their way to economic self-sufficiency.

Low-income single parents, displaced homemakers, or single pregnant women should contact the counseling and career services office for further information and to attend a Career Links program orientation. For further information, call 443-518-4954 or 443-518-1340.

Completion Services

Completion Services assists in the development of retention plans that support students’ academic persistence and success. This includes student academic monitoring, assessment, follow-up, and skill reinforcement, which complements enhanced student performance. Programs and services provided by Completion Services include Early Alert, Academic Warning, and Academic Suspension Appeals. For further information, call 443-518-1320.

 

Cooperative Education/Internships

Cooperative education (co-ops) and internships are supervised work experiences directly related to a student’s learning program and/or career interests. The basic purpose is to integrate classroom theory with work applications. For further information, contact the counseling and career services office, room RCF-302 or call 443-518-1340.

Disability Support Services

HCC is committed to providing an accessible education and supportive learning environment for all students. A student, a or prospective student, with a disability may make an appointment with a counselor in the disability support services (DSS) office at any time for information and assistance. DSS counselors can assist a student through the application, advising and registration process. In order to receive academic accommodations, the student must provide appropriate documentation of the disability to this office. After an informational interview, the counselor and the student will discuss appropriate academic accommodations and sign an agreement. As a result of this, accommodation memos will be produced for each of the student's instructors. Every semester, the student will request accommodation memos online, the DSS office will produce them and they will be emailed to the student. Then the student will forward them to each instructor and have a discussion about how the accommodations will work in that particular class. Once this happens, the student can receive the accommodations. If requested, DSS counselors will assist in this conversation.  All information provided will be kept confidential and will be used only to determine appropriate and reasonable academic accommodations.

Due to the difficulty of scheduling qualified sign language interpreters, it is highly recommended that students in both credit and non-credit classes needing interpreters work closely with the interpreter coordinator and complete early registration to give the college greater time to find an appropriate sign language interpreter. To request sign language interpreting services, please send an e-mail to hccinterpretingservices@howardcc.edu, call 443-539-8186 on the videophone or call (voice only) 443-518-3348. Interpreters are also available for college activities.

Services provided to students with documented disabilities include: advocacy, interpreters, notetaking assistance, test-taking accommodations, counseling, academic advising, and assistive technology. For further information regarding scheduling services, assistive technology, course substitutions, personal care attendants, service animals, the grievance process, or other concerns related to students with disabilities, please contact the DSS office at 443-518-1300 disabilitysupport@howardcc.edu, or in person in room RCF-302.

A non credit student with disabilities who requires accommodations must e-mail the division of continuing education and workforce development at continuingeducation@howardcc.edu in a timely fashion, preferably at least two weeks before the first class begins, so that suitable assistance may be provided in a timely fashion. All information is kept confidential.

Employment Counseling

Employment Counseling is available to students, alumni and community members who are interested in pursuing full time, part time, permanent and temporary positions.

Available resources include:

  • HCC Job Connection, online job and internship matching database that can be accessed via the internet at howardcc.edu/career.
  • job hunting reference materials featuring books about resume writing, interviewing skills, job search techniques, and related topics.

Employment Counseling services include:

  • individual assistance with resume writing and interviewing/job search techniques provided on an appointment basis.
  • customized workshops on a wide range of topics as requested by the college community.
  • job fairs are held each semester and on campus recruiter visits are scheduled regularly.
  • on campus recruiting visits with employers are scheduled regularly during the academic year.

For further information, contact the counseling and career services office, room RCF-302 or call 443-518-1340.

Howard P.R.I.D.E.

The Howard P.R.I.D.E. program inspires leadership that encourages the continued academic, professional and personal development of minority male, particularly African American, students at Howard Community College. The significant components of the program are primarily focused on providing African American male students’ with academic and social support. For more information, call 443-518-1300 or stop by RCF 302.

Learning Assistance Center

The Learning Assistance Center (LAC) provides tutoring and academic support services to all students enrolled in credit courses who would like to become more successful and efficient learners. The LAC, located in RCF 340, provides free group tutoring in most courses offered at the college. Drop-in tutoring services are scheduled and advertised each semester. The LAC also provides individualized assistance on study skills, learning styles, time management, memory building, note taking, and test-taking. Drop-in help for writing assignments is available in the Write Room, located inside the LAC. Tutoring, writing, and study skills software are available for use on computers. For further information, call 443-518-1320.

Personal Counseling

College can sometimes be a difficult and stressful time for students. With students trying to juggle school, work, and family responsibilities, there are times when these demands can be overwhelming. Personal counseling provides an opportunity to talk with an objective mental health professional about your concerns. What is discussed with a personal counselor will remain confidential and will not be shared with others. There is short-term individual counseling, as well as crisis intervention, available to students who are struggling with a variety of issues. Personal counseling services are free of charge to HCC students. In addition, there are educational resources available on a wide range of mental health issues, as well as information and referral to community programs and services. Personal counselors are available by appointment. To schedule an appointment or for further information, contact the counseling and career services office, room RCF-302, or call 443-518-1340. Please feel free to visit our webpage at howardcc.edu/counseling for additional resources.

TRIO-Student Support Services

Student Support Services is a federally-funded program offering free comprehensive services to eligible students. Eligibility criteria include low-income and/or first generation college (neither parent received a four-year college degree), and/or a documented disability.

The program’s goal is to increase the retention and graduation rates of students at the college. The Student Support Services Program provides free, individualized instruction by academic specialists in the areas of math, reading, writing, English as a second language, and study skills.  Free individual tutoring is available in most courses. Personal, academic, financial aid, career, and transfer counseling is available to program students. Advocacy, assistance with accommodations, and equipment are also available for students with disabilities. For further information, call 443-518-1300 or come to room RCF-302.

Vocational Support Services

Vocational Support Services is designed for students in vocational/career programs who are having academic difficulties or are part of special populations (i.e. individuals with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, single parents, etc.). The Vocational Support Services Program provides free small group and individual tutoring in vocational courses, such as nursing, accounting, and electronics. Career counseling is available from a Career Specialist located in career services, room RCF-302. Group test reviews for vocational courses, and study skills and test-taking workshops are also available. Additionally, the program assists students with disabilities majoring in vocational/career programs in arranging accommodations and specialized equipment.